


The Power of Two

by Hovercraft79



Series: All The Magic [7]
Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, Family Issues, Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:00:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25215883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hovercraft79/pseuds/Hovercraft79
Summary: The time has come at last for Ada to take over as Headmistress. She and Hecate are still reeling from the consequences of the marriage scroll, but life moves ever forward. Days into her new role, Ada is faced with a challenge she never imagined – and a loss she can’t comprehend.
Relationships: Amelia Cackle | Ada Cackle/Hardbroom
Series: All The Magic [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1776937
Comments: 14
Kudos: 41
Collections: The Hackle Summer Trope Challenge





	The Power of Two

**Author's Note:**

> This fic covers the 6th Week prompt ‘Mirror Universe.’ 
> 
> The title comes from one of my favorite songs by the Indigo Girls.
> 
> For all of my fics, but this one in particular, I’d like to thank all of those who work on The Worst Witch fandom wiki. It was an invaluable resource. If you’ve never taken the time to click through that site, I highly recommend it.
> 
> Thank you again to my dear friend Sparky. I earned a smiley sticker by using a bit of Latin in this one. It almost made up for my deranged use of semi-colons.

* * *

Alma continued her pacing, surprised she hadn’t worn a hole in the rug over the last few days. She was sure she could have marched her way to London and back in front of her fireplace. Now… now she was out of time. Agatha would be here tomorrow. She stopped at the sound of knocking on her office door.

“You sent for me?” Ada stepped into the room, taking in the empty shelves and loaded cardboard boxes. Term had been over for a couple of weeks, and Selection Day would soon be upon them. Her mother had determined that Ada should be installed as Headmistress before then. “Have you had any luck with the marriage scroll?”

“The what? Oh… no. I’ve been preoccupied,” she waved her hands over the stacks of boxes. “I’m taking more than I need to the seaside cottage, but I wasn’t sure what I would want.” She studied Ada a moment. “I take it you’ve not had any success either?”

“No.” In truth, Ada didn’t know if she felt more relief or disappointment that the marriage scroll still bound her and Hecate together. She’d been busy with Hecate and their usual summer potion making. After a flurry of attempts right after they’d been joined – Ada refused to call it married – they’d decided to slow down and be more thoughtful. They’d also considered calling in the Great Witch again but chose not to. She’d been none too pleased to find Hecate Hardbroom in the midst of yet another magical mishap.

Meanwhile, the marriage scroll hung like a cloud over them. While it had forced them to recognize their feelings for one another, force was the key word. They’d become careful with one another again now that they’d been forcibly joined together. Ada had, anyway, recoiling at the very idea that Hecate had been tied to her without her own consent. For her part, Hecate had handled the entire situation with much more aplomb.

“If not the scroll, Mother, then what can I do for you?”

Alma gestured for her to sit on the sofa, joining her once she’d settled. “I need for you to let me transfer the title of Headmistress to you now, here, before the official ceremony. We can go through the motions on Saturday, but I’d like the actual transfer to already be done.”

Ada shook her head, leaning away from her mother. “If this has something to do with Agatha… I’ve told you where I stand on that issue. We will run this school together. I know you—”

“It’s not about Agatha – at least not only about Agatha.” Which, of course, was entirely untrue. If Agatha could find a way to disrupt the change of power, Alma had no doubt that she would do it. “The transfer ceremony has often been just that – a ceremony. The real transfer of power carries risk. It’s no small thing to remove all the protective wards for the Academy and pass them to another. The window where the castle is unprotected is small, but it’s there nonetheless.”

Ada considered her mother’s words. They made sense, though Ada didn’t discount the idea that this was somehow tied to Agatha. “The transfer could still happen once Agatha is here. There’s no way to explain leaving her out.”

“Frankly, I’d rather she not even know about the early transfer.”

“Then it shouldn’t happen.” Ada stood to leave. She wouldn’t start her partnership with Agatha with a betrayal. “We can transfer the power at the ceremony as planned.” She’d barely made it to the door when her mother called after her.

“There’s another reason to have it now.” Alma hated to play this card, but Ada had left her little choice. “There’s also the matter of you becoming the Sealkeeper. Transferring that spell, in public…”

Ada sagged against the doorway. “Everyone would know…” Hecate would be a public spectacle. Because of her age, Hecate’s punishment had been kept private. Only her parents, Alma, the Great Witch and a select few of the Cackle’s staff had known about it. But if it became part of the ceremony… Hecate’s childhood mistake would be in all the papers. She would be devastated. Over fifteen years had passed since Hecate had graduated from Cackle’s. Certainly, a handful of teachers remained, Miss Bat for one, and Miss Coriander, the Head Cook, for another. But if her confinement ever crossed their minds, they kept it to themselves.

Defeated, Ada returned to sit next to her mother, knowing she’d well and truly been spelled into a corner. Looking into her mother’s eyes, Ada expected to see a gleam of triumph. She didn’t find it. All she saw was sympathy. Ada cradled her head in her hands. She could include Agatha, or she could protect Hecate’s privacy. “There really is no choice, is there?”

“No, daughter. I won’t insult you by pretending I’m not happy about it, but it is necessary.” She poured Ada a cup of tea, as much for something to do as anything else. “A witness is required. Would you like for it to be Hecate?”

Ada thought for a moment, then shook her head. As much as she wanted Hecate by her side for this milestone in her life, she couldn’t bear the idea of Hecate watching her take the oath of Sealkeeper. “No… not for…” Her cup began rattling in its saucer; she hastily set it on the coffee table. “I don’t want her to see me become…”

“That’s all right, Ada,” her mother said, in the gentlest voice Ada had ever heard her use. “I’ve already asked Miss Bat if she’ll be witness. It seems right – she was there when you were born, you know.”

Ada nodded. She knew. “Should I wear my dress robes?”

“If you wish, but… there’s no need. Save them for the public ceremony.” She squeezed Ada’s shoulder before leaving her alone with her thoughts while she summoned Miss Bat.

Suddenly, it all seemed far too real to Ada. The air vanished from Ada’s lungs, sending her gasping to the window. She wasn’t ready. She’d have to explain to her mother… another year…

“Ada.” Alma wrapped a steadying arm around her shoulders. “It’s going to be all right.” They both turned at the sound of Miss Bat chuckling behind them.

“I dare say, Alma, she’s handling it better than you did.”

“Och, Gwen! She doesn’t need to hear about that.”

Ada’s chest burned from the lack of air. She thought she might be hyperventilating. Her mother steered her to the sofa and sat her back down again, pressing against the back of her head until Ada had it practically between her knees. Slowly her breathing began to calm.

“Your mother likes to forget how she lost her breakfast pudding before her transfer ceremony.”

“Wh-what?”

Alma made an annoyed sound.

“Oh, yes. Tipped the old cauldron right out onto the rug.” A twinkling eye winked at Ada. “It’s no small thing to become Headmistress of any school, much less the oldest witching academy in Britain. I’d be worried if you weren’t a bit nervous.”

Ada lifted her head. “Then you’ve no cause for worry. I’m about terrified off my broomstick.”

“That’s a good girl, then,” Gwen said, patting her shoulder reassuringly.

“Let’s go. First things first.” Opening her desk drawer, Alma removed an ornately carved box. Ada recognized it at once. The box had been carved from a naturally fallen branch of the Fortingall yew millennia ago specifically to hold the Great Seal of Cackle’s Academy. The Seal had been presented to Christobelle Cackle along with the Academy’s Founding Stone. Legend held that as long as Fortingall yew still lived, so would Cackle’s Academy. Reverently, Alma lifted the Seal from the box.

> _As time as tide as stars collide,_
> 
> _The line of birth shall pass unbroken._
> 
> _From old to new and now to you_
> 
> _The symbol of family in this token._
> 
> _In you, Ada Cackle, the first-born of my line,_
> 
> _Your magic and this castles shall forever entwine._

The magic swirled through Ada, warming the depths of her belly and radiating through her limbs, light and heavy all at once. As the transfer waned and settled, Ada could feel the magic of the castle thrumming like never before. Her mother sagged against the mantel, breathing heavily.

“Oi, that was a thing, wasn’t it?” She looked at Ada. “Are you all right?”

Ada patted herself down, slowly feeling her own magic center in her chest. The magic of Cackle’s receded into the background. “I think so. Can you always feel it this way?”

“More or less. Wait till the place is full of girls with too much magic and too little control. I practically itched from the inside out during exams.”

“Well, that’s something to look forward to,” Ada deadpanned.

Alma pulled a small red notebook from her pocket.

“Your spellbook?” The last time she’d seen her mother’s spellbook, Agatha had used it to create an extraction spell. It was the day Agatha had been sent to Wormwood’s. The day everything had changed.

Once again, it seemed that little red book would be a harbinger of change.

“Aye. My spellbook. And my mother’s before that and her mother’s before that and so on and so forth.” She pressed the book into Ada’s hands. “Now it belongs to you.”

As soon as Alma released the book, a trio of glowing lights, blue and green and gold, whirled around Ada, circling her faster and faster until they finally faded away. As soon as the lights were gone, Gwen began to chant. Ada recognized the tune of the Witch Investiture Chant immediately, but the words were unfamiliar.

> _Rejoice, a magic spell is cast_
> 
> _Behold, a wondrous switch_
> 
> _A brand-new era comes to pass_
> 
> _With Cackle’s new Head Witch_
> 
> _Enhance, the feeble strength of flesh_
> 
> _Be well, be safe from any harm_
> 
> _When wisdom, strength and skill are meshed_
> 
> _With ward and spell and charm_

“I – I don’t feel any different,” Ada said, inventorying her magic.

“No. These are the protective wards that come with being Headmistress. They’ll protect you from almost any sort of magical mischief – accidental or intentional. That’s how you girls never could manage to land a prank or pull off any sort of shenanigans. But be warned – if you ever lower the wards, you won’t be able to get them back.”

“It’s why the extraction spell failed.” Ada studied the book in her hands. Agatha never had a chance.

Alma nodded and they fell silent for a few moments before Alma roused herself and retrieved one last item from her desk. “Time for the last one.” She held out a gilt-edged red scroll bearing the seal of the Magic Council.

Ada stared at it as though it was a snake. The Sealkeeper’s Oath. She didn’t even realize she’d taken two steps backwards.

“It changes nothing, Ada. Nothing.” Alma glanced at Gwen. The older witch was staring sorrowfully at Ada. “You are not responsible for this, Ada. You didn’t set the punishment. You have no power to release her from the confinement unless Indigo is restored. If that happens – when that happens – you will be poised to end the spell.” She stepped forward and gripped Ada’s elbow. “It changes absolutely nothing.”

Ada nodded, reaching for the pen and the scroll. Unrolling it, Ada swallowed the bile in her throat and began to read.

She stopped before she’d even made it halfway through. It didn’t matter what it said. She didn’t really want to know.

_Nothing will change_ , she told herself over and over. _Nothing will change_. Setting her jaw, Ada signed her name to the scroll. A rush of red fire filled the room before disappearing. In the silence that followed, Ada realized: Everything had changed.

* * *

“Well met, sister! Are you ready for your big day?”

Ada pulled her eyes away from the window where she’d been taking in the growing crowd. “Agatha! I was beginning to worry you wouldn’t make it!” She tried to pull her sister into a hug, but it just proved stiff and awkward.

“Miss my big sister’s big day? I don’t think so.” She peered past Ada’s shoulder out the window. “Not a bad crowd, but hardly what one would expect on such a momentous occasion.”

It was a dig and Ada knew it. Knew Agatha knew she knew it. She chose to let it go, instead taking in Agatha in her sharp, modern suit. She looked down at her own shapeless form in her dress robes. Sleek? No. Stylish? Only for the most traditional of witches. At best, they covered the ever-increasing evidence of her love for sweets.

Agatha pulled a purple velvet bag out of the air. “A token, to celebrate your day.” She pulled a round brooch from the bag and held it up so Ada could see. A large dark stone was set in the middle of the gold setting, surrounded by orange gemstones. She pinned it to Ada’s cloak. “Now you’re ready.”

Ada traced the pin with her fingers, eyes shining as she smiled at her sister.

“Miss Cackle?”

“Yes?” They both said, turning around together.

Hecate stopped, eyes darting between the two of them before she collected herself. “Your mother says it’s time to make your way down to the dais.”

“Time to get this show on the road, then,” Agatha said before she snapped her fingers and disappeared.

Hecate eased closer to Ada. “You look resplendent in your dress robes.”

Ada could feel the color rising in her cheeks. “You might be biased.” She fussed with the sleeves. “I feel like a blob.”

“Nonsense,” Hecate smiled shyly. “You’re nothing of the sort. And that is my objective opinion.” Things had been stilted between them since that infernal marriage scroll. She didn’t regret it. Not at all. It had forced them to finally give voice to their feelings for one another. But feelings hadn’t translated into actions. Ada was adamant that they not move forward in their relationship as long as they were bound by the scroll. She’d argued that any sort of… consummation… might make it harder to free them. Hecate had reluctantly agreed. Once again, a part of her life remained on hold due to events beyond her control. “I think you’ll make a fine Headmistress, the finest Cackle’s has ever seen.” She reached up to smooth Ada’s collar, dropping her hand when Ada backed away.

“Well. We don’t want to keep them waiting, do we?” She gave Hecate’s elbow a chaste squeeze before transferring to the dais herself.

Hecate stared at the empty space where Ada had been just a few seconds before. Something else had changed. A gulf stretched between them, growing larger each day. Hecate didn’t know how to bridge it.

Hecate arrived at the dais just behind Ada. Agatha, who was sitting in the chair next to Alma, looked up at them in surprise. Hecate saw the briefest look of surprise flash across Alma’s face as well. She watched as Agatha stood to let Ada sit in the seat next to her mother.

Hecate’s steps faltered as Agatha shifted into the seat on the other side of Ada. Her seat.

What used to be her seat, she corrected. Now that Agatha was here… Hecate felt the chasm grow wider still as she moved to sit in the row behind Ada, between Gwen Bat and Geraldine Gullet. She hardly paid attention to the ceremony, surprised at how short it actually was.

Alma made a speech. Ada made a speech. The Great Witch said a few words, and before Hecate knew it, they were all being herded into the Great Hall for the Feast of Investiture. That’s when it hit her: there’d been no mention of transferring the responsibility for her confinement.

Despite the hot summer sun, a chill pebbled her skin. They’d already done it. That explained the growing distance she felt with Ada. Hecate moved through the rest of the day like an automaton, with no memory of how she did it.

* * *

“I’m not sure a business suit is the look I want for my portrait. It feels a bit too Ordinary.”

“Our portrait,” Agatha corrected. “Surely you don’t mean to wear those ghastly old-fashioned dress robes that you wore for your installation. I don’t fancy looking like a bloody Cossack in our school portrait.”

Ada gave her sister a sideways look. Agatha was waging a more successful war against their middle-aged spread. Definitely not the dress robes. “Surely there’s something we could agree on.” Not that she should be the one to compromise; she was Headmistress after all, but with Agatha… sometimes it was easier to simply give Agatha what she wanted. “As long as we don’t make the same mistake Mother did.”

Agatha grimaced in agreement. “Where is that portrait, anyway?” Their mother’s official portrait had become something of a family legend over the years. Somehow, their mother – bastion of tweed and jumpers – had been convinced to wear something modern. Fashionable, their mother insisted whenever the topic came up. The dress had certainly been memorable – an orange and purple paisley monstrosity with bat-wing sleeves.

“Top shelf of the confiscation cupboard. I’ve been instructed to Leave. It. Be.”

“I rather expect you were.” Agatha rearranged the papers on her desk. “I had an interesting conversation with Geraldine tonight. She says her budget has been frozen for the last couple of years.”

Ada nodded. “Money is always scarce for a non-fee-paying school. You know that.”

“Quite right. And yet the potions lab is spending significantly more money this year than last.”

“New cauldrons specially designed for students. Hang on.” She scribbled a quick note on a piece of paper and sent it fluttering to find Hecate. “I’ll have Miss Hardbroom explain—”

Hecate materialized in front of the fireplace. “You needed me?”

An hour later and Ada finally called a halt to the discussion. Hecate had transferred away immediately. “If you ask me, that girl is far too big for her broomstick.”

“I didn’t ask you. Miss Hardbroom is probably the finest potioner I’ve ever seen. Mother agreed to buy those cauldrons, and I’m not going to back out now.” Ada turned the lamp off. “I believe it’s time to put this conversation, and myself, to rest.” She also wanted to talk to Hecate.

As soon as Agatha left, Ada transferred to the hallway outside Hecate’s quarters. She tapped on the door and waited.

Hecate opened the door, already wearing her nightclothes. Ada could feel her skin warming. She made sure to keep her eyes on Hecate’s face.

“I wanted to…” Ada faltered. “I’m not exactly sure what I wanted. I just wanted to talk to you.”

Hecate opened the door wider, welcoming Ada inside. “Do you want some tea?”

“No. Thank you. I don’t want you to trouble yourself.” She smiled nervously at Hecate, who didn’t smile back. She wanted to tell Hecate she looked lovely. She wanted to tell her she missed her. Instead, she said, “I’m sorry about Agatha.”

“Your sister is… very different from you.”

“Mother would agree.” Ada sat down on Hecate’s sofa.

Hecate gingerly sat down beside her. “I’ve missed our… time together.” She reached for Ada’s hand, but Ada pulled it away, squeezing the hem of her jumper instead.

“I’ve missed it as well.” Ada tried to smile but couldn’t quite manage it. The hem was a poor substitute.

“But?”

“Does there have to be a but?” Both of Ada’s hands were now twisted in the fabric, stretching the knitting out of shape. “Perhaps a spot of tea would be best.”

Without a word, Hecate rose from the sofa and moved to the kitchenette where she proceeded to make the tea by hand. Ada could see her hands shaking from where she sat. Once she had the kettle on, Hecate turned to face Ada but didn’t move any closer. “If I’ve done something—”

“You haven’t. I know I’ve been preoccupied and I’m sorry.”

“But?”

Ada shook her head. “But I can’t… not that I don’t want to! I do… it’s just… I can’t.”

“Because you’re too busy? Because your sister wouldn’t approve? Because I’m not enough for you?”

Finally, Ada couldn’t take it anymore, not if it made Hecate doubt herself or her worth. “Because it’s not right!”

Hecate clutched at the counter as her knees began to fail. “What does that mean?”

“I – I’m your employer now… there are rules…” Ada couldn’t even finish the thought.

“We have been friends for years, Ada. Since before I worked here. Before you were anything more than a teacher here. You are not some lecherous wizard taking advantage of some naïve little witch in your employ. Moreover, I am neither a scheming harridan using you to better my positon, nor am I that naïve little witch being used. Please don’t insult either of us by using our jobs as an excuse.” Her legs found their strength again; she circled closer to Ada. “I know how you feel about that ridiculous marriage scroll—”

“It took away any choice that either of us had in the matter.” Ada knew she sounded like a petulant child. “It took away your choice.”

“I know what it did. I was there, remember? I also know that we’ve come to an understanding about that.” And they had – if one considers pretending it hadn’t happened an understanding. “This isn’t about that.” She wrapped her hands around the watch hanging from her neck. The watch Ada had given her. As much as she hated the thought, she had to say it. “Unless your feelings have changed.”

Ada’s eyes widened. “NO.” She hurried to Hecate’s side. “They have not.”

“Then talk to me about what’s truly bothering you. For Merlin’s sake, stop pretending everything is fine when it so clearly isn’t.” She forced her hands to her sides. “I know your mother transferred her power to you before the ceremony. Days before. That’s why it took me so long to work it out. You can’t even sit next to me now that you’ve become Sealkeeper.”

“That’s not true! I came here to see you, didn’t I?” She forced herself to quit wringing her hands. “I just… I keep seeing it in my mind. Every time I look at you, I see my signature on the oath. I’m sure it will fade, but… I keep coming back to having this control over you that—”

“Control? Ada! What control do you imagine you have?” Hecate stepped back and held up a hand. The air started to shimmer and hum. With a crack the Sealkeeper scroll appeared in her hand.

“Wh - How…” Ada sputtered, gaping at the scroll. “You shouldn’t have been able to do that!”

“That’s hardly the point.” She thrust the scroll against Ada’s chest. “Go on, then. Show me what sort of control you have with that.”

“Now, Hecate…”

“Don’t ‘now, Hecate’ me. I want you to show me this control you think you have.”

“Look, you’re over excited and I don’t blame you. I’ve not… handled things well. You’ve had more time to rationalize this than I have.”

“Rationalize? I haven’t rationalized anything. I have made my peace with it. This is my life. As much as you may have thought about it since becoming the all-powerful Headmistress of Cackle’s Academy, I can assure you, Ada, that I have thought about it more. So, show me.”

Eyes narrowing, Ada unrolled the scroll. “Nothing will happen as long as the girl—”

“Indigo. Her name is Indigo.”

“As long as Indigo is stone, there’s nothing I can do.”

“Why not? Aren’t you in control, Headmistress?” Hecate folded her arms across her chest. “Go ahead and read the spell anyway. Let’s see what happens.”

Ada scanned the scroll. There was no incantation, only a blank space where she assumed it would appear. “It’s not visible.”

“Then make it appear.” Hecate waited until Ada shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “You can’t. Nor could you if by some miracle Indigo walked into your office right now.”

“Why not?” Ada read the scroll in earnest.

“Have you not even read it?” Hecate spun around, slapping a hand to her forehead as she tried to process what Ada was telling her. “You signed it. You presume to make decisions about me – about us – and you haven’t even read it?”

“You have to ask for it. You have to formally ask that the spell be lifted.” Ada’s face flushed. “I didn’t catch that.”

“The Great Witch’s last twist of the knife. I have to ask. Don’t flatter yourself that you have any more control over this than I do. Than your mother did. It’s as much a punishment for the Headmistress as it is for me. The Headmistress didn’t exercise control when she should have done, therefore she won’t have any control now.”

Ada looked like she wanted to speak. Instead she rolled the scroll up and sent it back to the desk in her office.

“I’m sorry you’ve been burdened with this, Ada. Truly I am. I had hoped that we’d built a foundation that would allow us to remain… well, friends at least, after you became Head.” She felt her eyes filling with tears, but she refused to cry in front of Ada. Not this time. “I trust you’ll let me know if that hope was misplaced.” She walked to the door. She didn’t know that she could manage a transfer just then. “I have rounds tonight.” She left Ada in her quarters.

In the corridor, Hecate sagged against the wall and buried her face in her hands. They never quarreled. Not that they always agreed, but… they didn’t do this. She pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve and wiped her eyes. “You’re a fool, Hecate Hardbroom, for even thinking you could have anything more.” It was like Pippa all over again, and she was doubly foolish to believe that it could be any different. The only difference was that neither of them could leave.

With a deep, shaky breath, Hecate began her rounds. She’d just turned onto the Fourth-Year corridor when she felt a ripple of unauthorized magic. Following the ripple to its source, she transferred into a shallow alcove just as Veronica Catsear was about to tap a mirror leaning on a table.

“What are you doing?” Hecate shouted. “It is past your curfew.” She stalked closer. Veronica wisely stepped away, clasping her hands behind her back.

“N-nothing, Miss Hardbroom.”

“Do not lie, Miss Catsear. This is the third time this month that you’ve been caught out after curfew. Add to that your sabotage of Miss Spellbody’s duplication potion, your recoloring of Miss Swoop’s familiar, as well as the cabbage incident... And now you have somehow managed to procure an illicit magic mirror. At the rate you are going, Miss Catsear, I highly doubt you will manage to remain a student here long enough to finish this term, much less graduate.”

“But really, Miss Hardbroom, I didn’t—”

“Enough. To Miss Cackle’s office with you. Stay there until I arrive with the Headmistress.” Hecate waved a hand and sent the girl to the office, setting a ward that would alert Hecate if the girl tried to leave.

Alone in the alcove, Hecate weighed her options. Casting out with her magic, she found Ada back in her office. No doubt Miss Catsear was already pleading her case. Hecate hadn’t intended to speak with Ada again tonight. _Perhaps it’s for the best_ , she thought. Perhaps they could work things out sooner rather than later.

She grasped the edge of the mirror just as she transferred to Ada’s office.

* * *

“The girl has a list of misdemeanors as long as my arm. I’m afraid I’ve had quite enough.” Ada sipped her tea.

“But… Ada… Wormwood’s? For a contraband mirror?” Hecate knew she’d just threatened the girl with expulsion, but… Wormwood’s? Ada would never send a girl there.

Ada turned her scowl on Hecate. “I beg your pardon? I don’t recall our being so familiar. Nor do I recall asking for you opinion on this matter.”

Hecate took a step back. “I’m sorry…Headmistress.”

Agatha stepped between them. “There, there, ladies. I’m sure we’re all a bit out of sorts due to the late hour.” She hustled Hecate to the door, practically pushing her into the corridor. “I understand there’s to be a broomstick display tomorrow. I look forward to it.” She closed the door in Hecate’s face.

Standing alone in the hallway, Hecate tried to make sense of what had just happened. This wasn’t like Ada. Even if they’d quarreled, she wouldn’t send a child to Wormwood’s.

Too agitated to sleep, Hecate headed for the library instead. The sooner they figured out how to undo the marriage scroll, the sooner they could get back to normal.

Hecate would have sworn she’d only closed her eyes for a moment, but the sunlight was streaming through the windows of the library as Miss Inkwell gently shook her awake.

“Good morning, Miss Hardbroom. It’s been a few years since I’ve had to wake you up from some corner of the library. Researching something interesting?”

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Hecate stretched, wincing at the sound of her vertebrae popping back into place. “No… well, yes.”

“That same thing that’s had you prowling my stacks for weeks now?” Miss Inkwell leaned forward and lowered her voice to a whisper. “You know, librarians are here to help you find what you’re looking for – and we don’t search and tell.”

Hecate considered it. She hadn’t had any luck searching on her own. Perhaps it was the lack of sleep, but… “I’m trying to find a reversal for a marriage contract. A – a friend accidentally read an old family marriage scroll and…” She shrugged. “She’s a bit embarrassed about it all.”

“I can see how that might be awkward – for your friend.” She patted Hecate’s shoulder. “I’ll take a look for you. But right now, you’d better get your skates on if you’re going to be on time for the broomstick display.”

Nodding, Hecate magicked her hair back into its usual tight and tidy bun before performing a quick shower spell. She thanked Miss Inkwell and hurried out to the sports field.

Within minutes, Hecate was surrounded by a dozen girls, all asking questions and running a dozen different ways. She scanned the crowd, looking for Miss Swoop, but the woman was nowhere to be found.

“Settle down, girls!” Hecate held her hands out, willing the girls to just be still. “You know what to do. You’ve practiced and you’re ready. Now go. Take your places.”

Determined little faces moved into position. Hecate took a seat on the dais, two rows behind Ada. She still didn’t see Miss Swoop. Across the grass Gwen Bat began playing an organ that had been set up for the display.

Shading her eyes against the late morning sun, Hecate watched the girls soaring in a slightly uneven v-formation. One of the girls was late on the turn, throwing the line off, but they quickly recovered. Soaring over the castle, the group formed a circle, flying faster and faster. Just when Hecate feared they would lose focus, plumes of red smoke streamed from the end of each broom, swirling in the vortex the girls had created until it resembled a small tornado. One by one the girls peeled off, landing in neat rows in front of the dais.

The crowd erupted, Hecate included. The girls beamed, well-deserved pride shining in their eyes. Ada rose to her feet, holding her hands up and willing the crowd to be quiet.

“That was an adequate display, girls. Not quite up to Cackle’s high standards, but I suppose the best you could do. You in particular, Miss Stone, I do hope you’ll endeavor to improve. Such a disappointment.”

Hecate looked on in horror as the girl who’d been late on the turn dropped her head. “Yes, Miss Cackle. I’m sorry, Miss Cackle.”

“Don’t be sorry, Evelyn. Be better.” Ada shooed the girls away in a curt dismissal. The rest of the girls filed away, their earlier exuberance dissipating faster than the smoke from their display.

Filing out with the rest, Hecate saw Ada waiting for her. Surely Ada wasn’t still out of sorts from last night. “Miss Cack—”

“Next time, Miss Hardbroom, I expect you’ll see to it that the display is actually ready for public viewing before disrupting our timetables?”

Speechless, Hecate stood, staring at Ada as everyone else hurried past her. She felt a warm hand wrap itself around her elbow, and a low voice purred in her ear.

“Don’t listen to her, Joy. They were brilliant.”

“What did you call me?” Hecate asked.

She turned around and found herself face to face with Pippa Pentangle.

* * *

Ada pushed her glasses to the top of her head and leaned in closer. She kept her hands clasped firmly behind her back. “Now, you’re sure that the mirror wasn’t here when you went to Miss Gribble’s room?”

Veronica Catsear looked back and forth between the adults. “Yes, Miss Cackle. I was sneak… I mean, I was walking down the corridor and I thought I heard something. I didn’t want to get caught out after hours, so I hid in here. But it was just one of the familiars.”

“I see.” Ada settled her glasses back into place and stood up. “And then?” The alcove was feeling very crowded with Ada, Agatha, Gwen Bat and Veronica in it.

“Well, you see… Mattie and I finished… studying, yeah, we were studying for… for chanting! Anyway, it was late, and I thought Miss Hardbroom would’ve been done with rounds already, so I wasn’t really paying attention.”

“But I’d kept Miss Hardbroom from her rounds. She got a late start.”

“Just my luck. Anyway, I was walking back to my hutch, and I saw it. I’d just gone to have a look when Miss Hardbroom caught me.” Veronica gazed up at Ada with wide eyes. “I hadn’t touched it or anything, I swear!”

“I believe you, dear. If you had, I daresay we’d be looking for you instead of Miss Hardbroom.”

Veronica edged further away from the mirror. “Is Miss Hardbroom all right?”

“Oh, I expect so. Miss Hardbroom is very resourceful, you know. I’m sure she’s just a bit misplaced at the moment.” Ada smiled and wrapped an arm around the girl as she walked her into the hallway. “You go on to bed now, Veronica. We’ll get Miss Hardbroom sorted.” She nudged the girl on ahead. “And Miss Catsear? Don’t think that I’ve forgotten you were out past curfew not once, but twice tonight. Come see me at breakfast tomorrow and we’ll see about your punishment.”

Veronica’s shoulders slumped. Clearly, she’d hoped her curfew violation had been forgotten. “Yes, Miss Cackle.”

Ada waited in the hallway until the girl disappeared into her room. Once she’d gone, Ada turned back to the alcove with a sigh. “What do you think?”

“I think that this is not an ordinary mirror,” Gwen answered. She bent down until her face was nearly pressed against the glass and sniffed deeply. “You can smell the magic on it still. A bit like sulfur.”

“It doesn’t mean it has any bearing on Miss Hardbroom’s whereabouts,” Agatha argued.

“True, but the appearance of an unknown magical mirror that just so happens to coincide with Hecate disappearing? I think it’s quite likely the two are related.” Ada studied the mirror for a moment, hoping the secret wards that she’d inherited as Headmistress were as powerful as her mother had hinted.

Gingerly, Ada lifted the mirror – nearly dropping it at Gwen’s gasp. “Merlin’s sake, Miss Bat!” She looked at the other women. Gwen anxiously stared back at her while Agatha stared through narrowed eyes at the mirror itself. “Let’s get this back to my office.”

The first tendrils of dawn were breaking over the horizon, and they still were no closer to figuring out the mirror than they had been when Veronica first showed it to them. Agatha had begged off sometime around three am, arguing that she would have to cover Hecate’s classes. Gwen sat in one of the wingbacks, head slumped on her chest and snoring softly.

Watching the sky shift from inky black to rosy blue, Ada reckoned she had about an hour before her mother arrived. She knew Agatha would have plenty to say about that, but Ada didn’t care. Not where Hecate was concerned. Certainly not when their last words had been a quarrel. Ada wiped a tear away before it could fall. Right now, she didn’t care if she was Headmistress; she didn’t care that she was nearing fifty years old. She wanted her mum to come and make things right again.

* * *

“P-Pippa?” Hecate couldn’t believe her eyes. “You’re here?” She looked her up and down, not sure she would have recognized her out of her signature pink. Why was she wearing a kitchen witch’s uniform?

“It’s not funny, Joy.” Pippa said as she crossed her arms and started to walk away. “Where the bloody hell else would I be?”

“Amulet’s?”

“Look, I know the wicked witch has you bollocked, but that’s still not funny.” She grabbed Hecate’s elbow and pulled her closer. “I’ve got to get back to the kitchens, and you need to go patch up Evie Stone’s self-esteem. Meet me on the roof tonight. Our usual.”

Before Hecate could gather her wits enough to speak, Pippa was gone. Something was wrong. Hecate’s breath started coming faster. Everything was wrong. Her heart sputtered and roared, sending her back to the seats before she fell. Pippa shouldn’t be here. Ada shouldn’t… She cradled the pocket watch in her hands. Ada should not be this person that berates young girls in front of the entire school. She flicked open the watch and read the inscription _There’s Always Time for What Is Important_.

She snapped the watch closed. Her eyes roamed the courtyard. Everything looked both the same and unfamiliar at once. She forced herself to her feet, fingers still wrapped around the watch. First things first, she needed to see to Evelyn Stone.

Having no idea when or where ‘the usual’ was, Hecate transferred to the roof as soon as dinner was finished. It was just as well. She needed time and quiet to think. The day had been enlightening to say the least. If she’d been asked that morning, Hecate would have said that seeing Pippa Pentangle would have been the most shocking part of the day. No. The most shocking bit had been finding out she taught Physical Education. She’d walked into her lab expecting to teach the scheduled laughter potion. Instead, she found Miss Gullet preparing her students in her lab. Her quarters were different; her clothes were different. As best she could tell, she was different here. Friendlier, more open. Everything she wasn’t in her own life.

And then there was Ada. She barely recognized her. The woman she loved hardly seemed to exist in this… reality? Time? Was she caught in a spell? A time trap? Was she the normal one or the one out of place?

“Joy?”

Hecate’s heart stuttered along with her feet. She wasn’t sure if it was the name or the woman saying it.

“You’re talking to yourself, darling. Are you all right?”

She forced a smile before she turned to face Pippa. “Was I? I didn’t realize.”

“Just a bit. C’mon, Hiccup. I need a smoke.”

Hecate followed her to the edge of the roof, the same place they’d snuck out to when they were girls. Swinging their legs to dangle over the wall, they spent a few moments enjoying the night. Pippa took the time to light up her cigarette, inhaling deeply and blowing the smoke over their heads. Hecate tried not to wrinkle her nose at the smell. It had been years since Ada had last smoked – her Ada, anyway. She didn’t know about the one here. She’d forgotten how bad they smelled.

“Your team did well, today. Don’t listen to what Cackle said.” Pippa gave her a sidelong look. “Sure you don’t want a drag?” She held the cigarette out.

“No. Thank you.” Hecate smiled. “And thank you about the show. I really didn’t do anything.” She hoped, in the moonlight, that Pippa couldn’t see how true that was. She had so many things she wanted to ask Pippa. So many things she wanted to tell her. She hadn’t a clue how to begin.

They sat in silence.

Hecate jumped when Pippa finally spoke. “You’re wearing your hair different today. It looks nice. You’ve always had beautiful hair.” She crushed out her cigarette and lit another.

“Thank you.” Hecate fiddled with her nails. “Aren’t you worried smoking will affect your chanting?” Hecate heard Pippa’s sigh, but she put that cigarette out as well.

“What different does it make? I haven’t chanted in years. You know that.”

Hecate swallowed a cry. Pippa had loved chanting – singing them, learning them, writing new ones. “I – I know… I just hope that one of these days you will again.”

Pippa reached over and grabbed her hand. “I know.” She squeezed Hecate’s fingers before letting go. “Someday, perhaps. When we’re far away from here.”

“How long has it been now?”

“Six thousand, four hundred and thirty-two days…” Pippa’s lips twisted into a bitter smile. “Each day feels longer than the one before it. I keep telling myself it’s nearly done, but…” Her voice sounded like a cauldron sliding across stone.

Before she could even think about it, Hecate reached for Pippa, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. For a few seconds, Pippa leaned into her. Then she pushed herself away.

“I’m sorry, but… you know I can’t.” Pippa’s shoulder shook as she breathed in a deep, steadying breath.”

“I’m sorry… I just…” _Just what?_ Hecate thought to herself. _I don’t even know what we are to each other here._ “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t mind me, Hiccup. I’m just feeling a bit maudlin, I suppose.” She gave Hecate’s knee a shake. “I know it’s not your fault. Really, I do. And I’m grateful you stayed with me through my confinement. You didn’t have to.”

“Y-your confinement?” The word sliced through Hecate’s heart like a scythe. “I didn’t…”

“Don’t pretend to make me feel better, Joy. The only reason you’re here is me. Nobody works for Ada Cackle if they can help it.”

Hecate looked at Pippa – really looked at her for the first time since she’d been here. For the first time in years. Pippa wasn’t just older, she was harder, with pinched lips and cold eyes. “Pip…” She tried to reach for her hand again, but Pippa leaned away.

“I don’t regret it,” Pippa said, as much to the night as to Hecate. “You’d already been confined until graduation. If you’d actually given that girl magic… they’d have stripped you of yours and held you up as an example. I couldn’t let the most magical person I know be destroyed like that. What choice did I have but to steal the Wishing Star back from you? It’s not your fault I got caught putting it back.”

The wall seemed to sway beneath her, and Hecate pressed her back against the stone. “Pippa…”

“Don’t. I know I’m here through my own choices – and I wouldn’t do anything differently given the chance. But it all comes back to your obsession with that Ordinary girl, doesn’t it? Maybe once my confinement is up…” Pippa cleared her throat and wrenched some brightness into her tone. “Twenty years hasn’t been so long, hey? Only a couple left.”

“You don’t have to pretend. I understand how you feel, Pip—”

“NO! You don’t. You can come and go as you please. You can leave this place. Whether you choose to or not, it’s still your choice. Don’t tell me you understand until you’ve spent nearly twenty years getting knocked off your broom every time you get too close to the property line.” She climbed down off the wall. “I’ve had enough reminiscing for tonight, Joy. Get some sleep.” Pippa winked out of sight in a swirl of pink magic, leaving Hecate alone on the roof.

Hecate trailed her fingers through the fading remnants of Pippa’s magic _. At least that hasn’t changed_ , she thought. This was not her world. Nor Pippa’s. Nor even Ada’s.

She knew she was in trouble – seriously so. But one thing Pippa said kept ringing through her head, crowding everything else out. _You can come and go as you please._

Hecate summoned a broom, pushing aside her own vivid memories of getting knocked off her broom at the property line. Instead, she flew straight for it.

* * *

“I can’t believe you’ve summoned Mother,” Agatha hissed. “Is this how it’s going to be every time some little thing goes wrong?”

Ada pulled away, trying to avoid any more of Agatha’s nettle breath. “Hecate is missing. I don’t take that lightly. I’m certainly not going to put her welfare at risk to spare my pride. Nor yours.” She pulled a rumpled paper sack out of her skirt pocket. “Suck on a lemon drop, Agatha. We’d all appreciate it.”

“If you two girls are finished…” Alma called, looking at them over the top of her glasses. She pointed at two spots on either side of the mirror. Ada and Agatha meekly took up their assigned positions.

“Do you know what we’re dealing with?” Ada struggled to keep her voice light despite her mother’s grim expression.

“I think I do. It’s old magic. Not quite dark, but… murky.” Alma leaned closer to the mirror and sniffed. “You said Gwen thought it smelled like sulfur?”

“Yes, that’s what she said.”

Agatha crossed her arms. “I didn’t smell anything.”

“Most people can’t, I think,” Alma said. “I can’t.”

Ada leaned in and took a deep whiff. “I don’t know if I can actually smell it, or if it’s just wishful thinking.”

“I believe we’re dealing with an Ostium Alternis Vitae spell.” Alma steadied Ada as she swayed on her feet. “We’ll get her back, daughter. Have faith.”

“Are… are you certain? I didn’t even think those were real.” A pit opened in Ada’s stomach. For the first time since Hecate disappeared, she feared for her return.

“I’ve never seen one, but… yes, I’m fairly certain. The smell of sulfur is one sign of it. But here’s what makes me sure… come here.” Alma positioned Ada in front of the mirror. “At first glance, it looks like an ordinary mirror.”

Ada stared at the reflection of her and her mother. Side by side, it was clearer than ever that Ada was her mother’s daughter. Shaking her head, she pushed the thought away. Now was not the time. “I take it, it’s not?”

“Step closer.” Alma nudged her forward. “Now, look at the edges of your reflection, but let your eyes go out of focus. Take your time.”

Ada tried to do as her mother instructed. As her eyes relaxed, the images took on a three-dimensional effect, nothing more. Just as she was about to give up, she saw a flicker of movement. Her eyes focused on that point and she lost the image. She grunted in frustration before closing her eyes to try again.

“That’s it, daughter. Relax yourself and your vision.”

Opening her eyes again, Ada slipped into the unfocused state much faster this time. When the flicker appeared again, Ada kept her eyes still, trying to look through the mirror, not at it. At last, the image shifted, and a new picture emerged. Ada could see that she was still seeing her office, but from a different angle. A woman passed in front of the mirror; Ada recognized herself. But it wasn’t her – little things were different: the cut of her hair, a skirt she didn’t own…

Suddenly the room disappeared, and Ada was staring into her mother’s worried face. “M-mother?”

“There you go…” Alma pushed her daughter to the sofa. “Let’s have a spot of tea.” She handed Ada a cup, adding a couple of biscuits to the saucer.

“I don’t understand.” Ada started as she realized that Gwen had joined them. “How long…”

“Over an hour, dear,” Gwen said. “Long enough to be sure that’s what we think it is. I must say, I never thought I’d see one of those again.”

Still dazed, Ada stared at her tea. “Where’s Agatha?”

* * *

Water ran in rivulets around her hand where it rested against the windowpane. Hecate didn’t know when it started raining. She didn’t know how long she’d been hovering outside Indigo Moon’s window, holding herself without form as she watched the family inside, but the buzzing in her ears had moved somewhere beyond agonizing.

Indigo lived. She looked healthy and well and _happy_. She had a family. A husband, who laughed a lot and brought her popcorn when they settled in to watch something on the telly, who cuddled with her on the sofa. She had a child – a son, judging from his truck-covered pyjamas. He was just learning to walk, giggling in surprise every time he plunked onto his nappy-padded bottom.

Hecate pushed herself away from the window, lifting into the air and pulling herself back into space. She pressed her frozen fingers against her burning ears, the buzzing slowly fading away. She could only imagine how red they were.

Turning her broom towards Cackle’s, Hecate headed back. Her earlier exhilaration at leaving the grounds had faded. This wasn’t her home. It was Joy’s home and she was no longer Joy. Her mind racing faster than her broom, Hecate tried to make sense of what had happened.

She knew she was the one out of place. Her fingers closed around the pocket watch at her neck. A gift from Ada. Her Ada. She frowned. Did Ada know she was missing? Was she missing? Hecate slowed her speed. Was there another Hecate fumbling through her life at Cackle’s? Was there a woman who never turned a child to stone now confined to a castle that had never been her home?

Or was Ada pacing the corridors in a panic, wondering where she could be? Berating herself because the last words they’d said to one another were shouted in anger.

The rain fell harder. Hecate pressed forward into the night, using the flight to think. When had she first noticed anything amiss? Today? Certainly, nothing had been right today.

“No,” she said out loud. “You knew something was wrong last night. Ada would never send a girl to Wormwood’s. Not after Agatha.”

The castle appeared in the distance, and Hecate’s room, even though it wasn’t truly hers, still beckoned, warm and dry. By the time she’d landed, Hecate knew what she needed to do. She needed to get her hands on that mirror. Only two unusual things had happened yesterday: finding Veronica Catsear in possession of an unauthorized mirror and her quarrel with Ada. She hardly thought Ada would magick her into another dimension.

Half an hour, two drying spells, one warming spell and a cup of tea later, Hecate found herself lurking in the hallway near Miss Cackle’s office. Lurking, for Merlin’s sake. She hadn’t lurked since she was a girl. “And we know how that turned out,” she chided herself.

It wasn’t quite time for lights out, but the corridors were already deserted. Hecate nearly jumped out of her skin when Miss Inkwell rounded the corner.

“Miss Hardbroom! I was just headed your way.” She held up an envelope. “I finished your little research project. That took some doing. Where did you… I mean, your friend… where did your friend even come across such a scroll? Those haven’t been used since the days of arranged marriages.”

Hecate took the envelope, turning it over in her hands. “That makes sense. She was cleaning out old family mementos.”

“What is all this nattering outside my door?” Ada appeared in a burst of magic.

The two women jumped back, pressing against the wall.

“Apologies, Miss Cackle,” Hecate shoved the envelope into her skirt pocket.

Ada pointed at Hecate. “What are you trying to hide?”

“N-nothing, Ad- I mean, Miss Cackle. Miss Inkwell was just helping me with a bit of research. I wanted to…” Hecate fumbled about trying to come up with an appropriate subject.

“Joy was just trying to find a way to improve the aerodynamics of the school brooms,” Miss Inkwell finished for her. “Ever striving onward, and all that.”

Ada stared down her nose at them. “I’d bloody well hope so after your girl’s earlier performance.” She cast a scathing look at Hecate. “I shouldn’t be surprised that a sports witch knows nothing about using a library.” She dismissed them with a flick of her wrist. “Carry on then – away from my office door. I’m late for tea with Agatha. Be gone by the time I return.”

Bristling inside, Hecate managed to grind out a quiet ‘Yes, Miss Cackle’ as the woman stalked away. “Thank you, Penelope. I fear I was floundering a bit.”

“Yes, well… she does have that effect on people.” She held up both hands as claws and bared her teeth, growling playfully. “Good evening, Joy. Don’t be such a stranger in the library.”

Hecate snickered behind a hand. “I won’t. You take care.” She made an exaggerated show of checking the hallway before adding in a loud whisper, “Stay out of trouble.” She took a few slow steps in the opposite direction of Miss Inkwell. Once the other woman disappeared and her footsteps had faded away, Hecate hurried back to the office door. She didn’t know how long she had before Ada returned. With apologies to her ears, Hecate pushed herself into the space between transfers.

* * *

“Mother? I asked you where Agatha is?”

“She’s gone to tend to your Headmistress duties while we try to sort out what’s happened to Hecate.”

Ada smiled thinly. “That’s very kind of her.”

Alma and Gwen exchanged worried glances before Alma spoke. “Is it?”

“Are you saying it’s not?” Ada scowled into her teacup. “You’ve never given Agatha the benefit of the doubt, always expecting the worst whether it was warranted or not.” She slammed her cup down on the coffee table. “And now, when we should be focused on finding Hecate, you’ve chosen to renew this… antagonism towards my sister!”

“Use your sense, Ada! She’s been here only a few days, and already there’s chaos.” Alma shook her head; there was no reasoning with Ada. There never had been. “I know she’s your sister, and I know you think my concerns are unfounded, but look at where we are. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the person who matters to you above all others is the one that vanished?”

Ada crumpled under her mother’s glare. “We have to get her back.”

“And we will,” Alma covered Ada’s hand with her own. “We will.” She waved Gwen over. “While you were… occupied… Gwen and I did some sleuthing. We think we know how to get her back…”

Ada looked back and forth between them. Their drawn faces and downcast eyes belied the hopeful tone her mother used. “But there’s something wrong… I can tell from your faces.”

“She has to be in front of the mirror,” Gwen explained. “We don’t even know if the mirror exists where she is, wherever she is. We don’t even know if she’s aware anything is amiss.”

“But she’s all right, isn’t she? In whatever reality she’s in, she’s all right?”

“I hope so, daughter.”

“But there’s something else. Stop waving your wand about and just cast the spell.” Ada leapt from the sofa, stomping across the room until she was standing in front of the mirror. “She has to want to come back. That’s what you don’t want to tell me.”

“It’s a mirror,” her mother explained gently, “an old mirror. There are flaws. The reflection is never perfect. The reality on the other side won’t be perfect either.”

If Ada had ever wondered what it felt like to turn to stone, this might be it. “What does that mean?”

“Hecate is the same, of course, but… other things could be different. You may not be Headmistress or maybe you are.”

“Maybe the confinement never happened,” Ada added softly. Would Hecate even want to return? What if the Ada on the other side of the mirror didn’t hesitate to love her back? “Trading her freedom for me isn’t much of a bargain.”

Alma moved until she was standing behind her daughter, hands resting heavily on her shoulders. “Don’t sell yourself short. And don’t underestimate Hecate.” She gave Ada a gentle shake. “It won’t matter if we aren’t paying attention when she looks in the mirror.” She left Ada staring, unfocused, into the glass.

* * *

Hecate materialized in her room, the throbbing in her ears subsiding only a little. She leaned the cloth-draped mirror on her sofa and rubbed her ears, unsurprised when her fingers came away slicked with blood.

She wiped her hands on her skirt and didn’t give it another thought. Who knew how long it would be before Ada noticed the mirror was gone? Whipping the cloth away, Hecate studied the mirror. Her nose twitched at the faint smell of matches. She carefully touched the frame with the tip of her finger, flinching when she made contact. Nothing happened.

“A one-time only spell?” Hecate gripped the edge more firmly. She could feel magic under its surface – oily, writhing magic. Dark magic. She remembered finding an old ring in her mother’s jewelry box once, before she’d left for Cackle’s. She’d only held it a moment before her mother had snatched it away, but… she remembered the way it had felt in her hand. It felt like this, but stronger. Closer.

In a flash of understanding, Hecate realized it was because the spell was on the other side of the mirror, not this one. Whoever had done this had done it from her world, not this one. She pulled her hand away.

But this was her world, too. A world where she had Pippa, a world where she wasn’t confined. In this world Indigo Moon was home and warm, eating popcorn with a family who loved her – not standing in the rain, frozen in stone at the edge of the forest.

But it wasn’t her life.

This wasn’t her Pippa, bright and glowing and pink. This certainly wasn’t her Ada. She looked down at herself, awkwardly dressed in sports clothes. This wasn’t her life.

Hecate rearranged herself on the sofa. She gazed into the mirror, hoping to spot a trace of the magic, or maybe a pattern. She tried to avoid looking at herself. It was too distracting. Instead she tried to see through herself, adjusting and readjusting her eyes until…

Until she found herself staring into Ada Cackle’s blue eyes.

* * *

“Hecate!” Ada rushed forward, flattening both hands against the glass. “She’s there, I can see her!” Behind her, she could hear Gwen and her mother scrambling, but she didn’t dare turn to look. On the other side, Hecate’s eyes flew open wide. “I think she can see me, too! Hurry!”

Alma opened the ancient spellbook. “When we start, push against the glass and try to pull her through.” She nodded at Gwen and they began.

> _By all we see and all we are,_
> 
> _We summon you from realms afar._

Ada pushed. The glass felt softer, but it didn’t give. “Again!”

> _By all we see and all we are,_
> 
> _We summon you, Hecate, from realms afar._

The mirror began glowing. Ada’s hands pushed through. “Once more!” She could see Hecate reaching for her from the other side but couldn’t feel anything. She pushed harder and suddenly felt Hecate’s hands in hers.

With strength borne of desperation, Ada pulled as hard as she could. Then, in a crack of thunder and hail of glass shards, Hecate was tumbling against her. Ada fell with her, refusing to let go even as they crashed to the floor.

“Hecate! Thank the stars!” She pulled Hecate even closer, kissing the top of her head. “You’re here, oh… Hecate…”

Burying her face in Ada’s shoulder, Hecate clung harder. “Say it again, Ada, say my name again…”

“Hecate… I’ll say it over and over if you want… Hecate…”

Hecate smiled into against Ada’s shoulder. She was home.


End file.
